Production of Telenovelas
From a behind the scenes standpoint, telenovelas are much more complex in filming than viewers would think. There are numerous teams that work tirelessly to complete seamless episodes of these dramatized shows. A surprising component of filming that is goes unrecognized to viewers is the sequence in which scenes are shot. While it is common for many to believe that films and television series are shot chronologically, there is a production role that specializes in doing just the opposite. In filming telenovelas, scripts work tirelessly along side producers and directors to devise ideal schedules for the order in which scenes are shot. Additionally, steamier scenes that are very common in telenovela episodes are often shot time after time for directors and producers to get the scene the perfect way for television. This is extremely significant because it adds an element of complexity that many would not expect in these traditional drama television shows. This repetitive shooting of very emotional and vulnerable scenes displays the true talent of actors because it displays their ability to truly dive into their role. Additionally, in telenovelas with many outdoor extra staff are hidden throughout sets to create realistic scenes in the show such as the male protagonist effortlessly pulling a boat to shore. I expect that techniques like this are commonly used in shooting La Reina del Sur because this telenovela includes many action packed scenes. In the episode of La Reina del Sur where there is a plane crash, there is an extensive production crew working behind the scenes to make this fake and unfeasible scene look like it is actually happening in real life, meanwhile what the viewers see as a plane crash is actually just green screens and technology. I think that this unseen field of workers is extremely crucial to the production of telenovelas and deserves to be equally recognized to the viewers, rather than the attention being focused solely on actors.
Film is definitely one of those few things that's so much more difficult than it looks! As a film major, it's been quite interesting seeing the behind the scenes in these telenovelas, and I think I could add some insight that makes the production process even more complex. While we talked about the producer and scriptwriter in the setup process, we didn't talk too much about story boarding (this could be produced by a graphic artist and even have 3D visualization for especially difficult shots) and all the crew a director might have including the script girl. The script girl as may be divided into several jobs because not only do you need to keep track of costuming/makeup, but you need to keep track of lighting, camera type and angle, props set around the scene, and even the emotions of the actors and actresses in the previous scene. There are also several director's assistants which all have specific jobs, like how one might be the liaison between the electrician's crew, camera crew, the director, or even more important director's assistants. These are just scraps of the entire film world, and telenovelas may condense their crews (what I'm describing is typical of a regular American film), but it's easy to see how even a telenovela can have crews of hundreds of people!
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